Short courses

We're offering a new short course for mid-level professionals in Robotic Process Automation.

Catch up on our free RPA webinar

We recently held a free webinar aimed at helping people understand RPA, its potential impacts and applications, and what it could mean for their career opportunities. It was an opportunity to gain a stronger understanding of the concepts that will be taught in-depth over the short course and their inustry relevance. You can watch a recording of the webinar below to learn how this course could impact your career.

RPA Design and Development for Working Professionals

The world is rapidly changing and the future of work will test us all. We need to plan for these changes by preparing for change, learning new skills and having a clear point of difference in the employment market.

In times of uncertainty and disruption we need to focus on the future on how we can be part of it. Help transform society and boost your career through Robotic Process Automation.

We invite you to get in touch if you're interested in learning more about RPA and evoling your skill set.

If you’re a project manager, business analyst or a working professional in the tech industry, this course can help you future-proof your skill set with a globally recognised certification. The intended learning outcomes include being familiar with the necessary programming skills, and how to use them to operate and optimise UiPath’s software. You will also be given the tools to understand robotic processing automation concepts and the best practices for their industry application. By the end of the course, you will be more prepared to face future IT trends such as AI and autonomous products.

Course instructors:
Dr Craig Sutherland - Dr Sutherland spent years as a software developer before returning to work as Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical, Computer and Software Engineering. His research focuses on improving the interactions between humans and robots.

Dr Reza Shahamiri - Dr Shahamiri is a Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering with the Department of Electrical, Computer, and Software Engineering. He has vast experience with machine learning algorithms and enabling software systems to think and learn.

Contact us

We've setup a dedicated home for short course enquiries. Get in touch with the team at the address below.

Frequently Asked Questions

How will the RPA short course be taught?
The RPA short course will be taught 100% online over six weeks allowing for flexible learning to suit your work schedule. The course content will first be taught online via a live lecture, subsequently these lecture recordings will be available for you to access at any time. In addition, there will be online workshops or tutorials facilitated by our teaching staff each week for you to further develop your understanding on course content.

Is the knowledge learned in this short course transferable to other RPA solutions?
We are using UIPath as the RPA software because it is widely used in New Zealand and internationally. At the same time, the key concepts of what will be taught will be applicable to other RPA tools.

How will the RPA short course be structured?
The first half of the course is about going through and learning how to identify organisational processes, if these are able to be automated and what would need to be done before the processes can be at a point ready to be applied with RPA. The second half of the course is more technical, where we will learn the skills required to create an RPA solution for the organisational project using UIPath.

How much programming knowledge is required to study the RPA short course?
Some basic coding skills are preferred but there will not be a lot of code writing as the RPA tools are modular based, with ‘drag and drop’ interfaces allowing for ease of use. We will also provide optional coursework material at the beginning of the short course to help you be familiar with basic programming, along with support and assistance throughout the 6 weeks.

What is the main advantage of using RPA compared to other automation methods?
RPA is a fast and simple way to deliver process automation because of the approach, which is using the interfaces and the functions that are already presented in your existing systems.

What are the career opportunities for RPA equipped professionals?
With most organisations undergoing digital transformations, RPA knowledge will differentiate you in many roles as you progress to the next step of your career.
Example careers that have demand for RPA specialists range from change managers to software developers to solution architects. If you are a technically minded person who enjoys problem solving and thinking logically, then a career path in RPA development and analysis may be an area of interest. There are also possibilities in the human aspect of RPA where you consult with teams and provide solutions to organisational challenges.

Where does RPA fit with existing BPM toolsets?
Modern RPA tools can replace or work beside existing tool sets, depending on your organisation’s choice. There are form, workflow, process mining, analytics, management reporting built into leading RPA tools, as well as integration with ERPs and CRMs.

Who are UIPath?
UIPath is the global leader in Robotic Process Automation (RPA). Gartner recognised the company as a leader and visionary within the field in a 2019 report, as did Forrester.
UIPath was the world’s fastest growing company in 2019 according to Deloitte Fast-500 2019 at 37,458% revenue growth over three years.

Why should my manager support me to do this course?

As a Developer, you will be able to create solutions to business problems more quickly using RPA to meet the demands of our customers. Where IT departments did not provide RPA skills, business units created their own and relegating IT to infrastructure and tool support.

As an Analyst or Project Manager working on business processes, by using these tools and techniques you will be able to deliver much more by yourself, even some complete technical solutions.

If you work in Finance, Health or another area that has a lot of automation potential, you can use these skills to help our department transform itself.

Why should you do this course?Automation skills will differentiate you from other job candidates in any industry or role and help you to remain current, relevant and competitive in the market. As Automation and AI is the Future of Work you need to ensure you’re ready. RPA is currently the largest growth area in commercial software, so a globally recognised qualification can help future-proof your career options.

Why study RPA with the University of Auckland?
The University of Auckland is expert at delivering real-world RPA solutions. Our team won a global “Best Digital Transformation Project” at the Operational Excellence awards in Florida last year. We’re the first University in the world to become an Academic Alliance partner with UIPath, which means we not only teach RPA to our top Engineering students and working professionals but also to underprivileged school children.